By Maddern Accountants 21/12/2011
While the current marketing trend is to favour online promotions there is nothing wrong in the tried and tested approach of face to face conversations to raise your profile. If you are promoting your business or product as the expert, then consider speaking at industry conferences, community events, business lunches and Rotary Club meetings.
Speaking engagements increase your profile as an ‘expert’ in your industry and business community. If attendees have a good experience with you, they will remember you for along time.
Another affordable approach to raising your profile is using public relations.
There are many PR firms in the market place and many specializein public relations for specific industries. While it may be worth considering hiring a PR firm, as a business owner you may be able to carry out the public relations yourself.
A press release is an effective way to pitch to the media the benefits of your new product, an opportunity offered by your business or just announce the arrival of your business.
A press release highlights your news, offers quotes from you as the expert and provides contact details for more information. When preparing a press release always aim to keep it relevant and newsworthy.
Send the press release to the media, including your local paper, as journalists are always looking for great stories. The result may be an article based on your press release including your comments as the ‘expert’.
By using the media to help get your message to your potential customers, you are capturing a much larger audience in a short period of time for a relatively low cost.
Both face-to-face conversations and using the media rely on one thing – establishing you as an authority in your given field. If you enjoy public speaking and being your company’s champion, it can prove a very effective means of promoting your business.
